Hans-Christian Schink wins REAL Photography Award

During a final round of judging today the work of German-born Hans-Christian Schink was singled out as the winner of the first REAL Photography Award. Schink's black and white print, which uses a photographic effect known as ‘true solarisation' forms part of a long-term project entitled ‘1 h' that will be presented as a series of 12 images from different places on earth depicting ‘movement'.

Michel Tilmant, Chairman of the Executive Board of ING Group, presented the first REAL Photography Award - a cheque worth EUR 50,000 in prize money - to Hans-Christian Schink at an award presentation ceremony held at LP II Art Centre in Rotterdam this evening. Commenting on the winning photograph on behalf of the jury Roger Hargreaves, jury chairman, said: "We were drawn to, and intrigued by the exquisite landscape between the violent gash that streaked across an otherwise tranquil landscape. This, we discovered, was the mark of the sun as it aired across the sky in the one hour it took to make the exposure. Hans-Christian Schink's photograph has reinvigorated black and white photography with a new contemporary verve and has created a visual tension that hints at trouble to come in a wilderness paradise. His work truly reflects the award theme."

Opening the award ceremony, George Jautze, Chairman and CEO of ING Real Estate said: "Today is an exciting day for our company as we celebrate the culmination of a year's work. We have made a commitment to develop cultural institutions. As a patron of the arts and culture we wanted to make a bigger contribution. We found that contemporary photography was a perfect match for our business. What better way than to allow creative minds to demonstrate their interpretation of the elements we come across in our business environment Nature, Development and Architecture."

The award ceremony marks the official opening of the REAL Photography Award exhibition with the photographs of all 30 award nominees on display at the above venue until 4 May 2008. A colour catalogue of all thirty entries is available at the exhibition or can be ordered from www.realphotographyaward.com

About the REAL Photography Award
The REAL Photography Award is a biennial photography award initiated by ING Real Estate in March 2007. The award theme called for a tribute to ‘Nature, Development and Architecture'. The award has been designed to encourage and promote contemporary photography. The award winner is entitled to EUR 50,000 in prize money. The next REAL Photography Award call for entries will take place in 2009.